Machine for coating materials



Aug. 25, 1936. L. BELLAMY MACHINE FOR COATING MATERIALS Filed March 28,1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 NN N mx Aug. 25, 1936. L, BELLAMY 2,051,813

MACHINE FR COATING MATERIALS l Filed March 28, 1934 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2Aug. 25, 1936. L BELLAMY 2,051,813

MACHINE FOR comme MATERIALS Filed March 28, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 5Patented Aug. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

My invention relates to machines for coating sheets of materials with aliquid coating mixture.

The objects of my invention are as follows:

To provide a coating machine for coating the surfaces of matrix paperevenly with a liquid mixture, by the use of spray devices adapted toproject an elongated fan shaped jet of the liquid mixture upon thesurfaces to be coated; to provide devices to feed successive sheets ofmatrix paper from a stack of such sheets to conveyers which feed thesheets of materials under the spray devices at varying speeds; toprovide means to adjust the spray devices to project liquid coatingmixtures of varying viscosity and at different velocities; to providedevices for turning the sheets of materials over to coat both sides ifde-` sired and a device to evenly cover the surface of the sheet ofmatrix paper with a pulverized material in a powdered form.

A further object of my invention is to so construct the feedingmechanism and spray coating device as to vary the thickness of coatingprojected upon the surface of the sheets of materials.

These objects are attained by the mechanism illustrated in the drawingsforming a part of these specifications.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a diagram of the plan view of my improvedcoating machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of same. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation showing more in detail the arrangement of the conveyor beltsand the means for driving the same. Fig. 4is a diagrammatic sideelevation of the feeding device for feeding the sheets from a stack ofsheets to the conveyer belts and the device for covering the sheets withpowdered material. Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation of the spray deviceand support. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of the support for thespray device, the bottom of the tank for holding the coating mixture, asection of air pipe for compressed air, the connections to the tank andair pipe and a side View of the spray device. Fig. '7 is a sideelevation of the device for turning over the sheets of matrix paper andFig. 8 is an edge View of same. Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectionalelevation of the feeding mechanism, as shown in my copendingapplication, Serial No. 717,817 led March '28, 1934, for Machine forcoating materials, in which its construction is fully described. Thisfeeding device is not attached to the frame of the machine shown inFigs. l and 2 of this application, but is preferably operated from anindependent source of power, with its feeding belts timed to the samesurface speed as the carrier belts shown in Figs. l and 2. Fig. 9 showsthe position of the feeding device with relation to the carrier belts ofthe machine when it is positioned to feed sheets to the machine.

In the drawings, 9 represents a feeding device in which sheets of paperor the like may be stacked, preferably at an angle and fed from thebottom upwardly through the rolls and Il. The sheets are fed by thefeeding belts |2|2 which are V shaped and are driven and guided by thetwo series of pulleys |3|3 and I4|4 which are mounted upon and rotatedby the shafts I5 and I6, which rotate in bearings in the frame 9. Theshaft I5 may be rotated by a suitable source of power.

The sheets are passed from the feed belts |2|2 to a series of V shapedconveyer belts which are mounted upon and driven by the pulley I8, thepulleys |8'-|8' are idler pulleys. The pulley I8 is driven vby beltsfrom the pulley 9, which is mounted on the shaft 20. The pulley 2| ismounted upon the shaft 20, and driven by the belt 22, which is mountedupon and driven by the pulley 23, which pulley is mounted upon the shaft24. The shaft 24 is rotated by a motor or other suitable source ofpower.

As the sheets are conveyed in the direction of the arrow by the beltsthey pass under the spray device 25, and their exposed surface moistenedby a fan shaped spray of water is desired. When the forward edge of thesheets pass to the pulley I8, they enter the wedge shape space 26, ofthe turning over device shown in Fig. 7. Contact with the trigger 28causes it to rotate on its pivot 29, and disengage its hooked portionfrom the pin 3l). The disengagement of the trigger 28, from the pin 30,permits the ratchet pawl 3| to swing upon the pivot 32, and cause itshooked portion to engage the ratchet 33 which is secured to and rotateswith shaft 34, thereby causing the turning over device to rotate withthe shaft 34 half a revolution. The ratchet pawl 3| swings upon thepivot 32, into engagement with the ratchet 33, through the action of thespring 35, secured to it; the free end of the spring engages the pin 36.The spring 35 is normally curved outward so that it is under sufficienttension to swing the ratchet pawl 3|, into engagement with the ratchet33. When the turning over device 21 has completed a half revolution, itsouter end contacts with the pin 36', thereby disengaging its hooked endfrom the ratchet 33, at the same time the spring 35 is compressed andthe trigger 28 engages the pin 30, through the action of the spring 31.After the ratchet pawl 3| is disengaged from the ratchet 33, the portionthe turning device is in position to receive the,

advancing edge of the next sheet. The turning over device 21 is composedof oppositely disposed duplicate members and is loosely mounted on theshaft 34.

The sheets of material as turned over are deposited on a second seriesof conveyor belts 42-42 which convey them under the spray de vice 43,which projects on their upper surfaces a fan shaped jet of coatingmixture extending laterally across the sheets asthey are fed along,th'us evenly coating the whole surface of each sheet. The thickness ofthe coating is regulated by varying the composition and viscosity of thecoating mixture; the speed at which the sheets travel; by varyingtheopening of the jet orifice and by varying the velocity at which thecoating mixture is projected from the jet orice.

It is essential that the conveyor belts 42-42 be dry and free of coatingmixture when the sheets drop upon them as turned over. To this end Iprovide means for scraping the top surface of the belts not shown andpass them through the drying chamber 43a, the conveyor belts 42 are longenough to pass through the chamber 43a,

several times, they are driven by the pulleys 2|-2| mounted on the shaft20, the conveyer belts 42 pass over the pulleys 2|-2I around pulleys48-48, over pulleys 41-41 to pulleys 46-46, thence to pulleys 45--45 andback to pulleys 2|-2|.

A pan 49 is provided to catch and hold any coating mixture not depositedon the sheets as they pass under the spray device 43, and an enclosure50 is provided with an exhaust fan, not shown, to draw out free moistureand help dry the sheets.

The sheets of material pass from the conveyer belts 42-42 to theconveyer belt 5|, which is substantially the width of the sheets and areconveyed by the belt 5|, under a dusting device consisting of a hopper52, for holding a pulverized material. The bottom of the hopper 52 has anarrow opening covered with wire mesh.- There is a. brush 53 mounted inthe hopper 52, with its bristles resting on the wire mesh and means areprovided, not shown, to reciprocate the brush 53, endwise to feed thepulverized material through the wire mesh so it will fall upon thesheets as they pass through under the hopper 52-. Two reciprocatingbrushes 54 and 55 are provided to spread the pulverized material overthe surface of the sheets as they are fed under them and rub it intopores of the sheets.

Rolls 56 and 51 are provided to prevent displacements of the sheetswhile the brushes 54 and 55 are rubbing against their surfaces, theyhold the sheets down against the conveyor belts 5|. The rolls 56 and 51are mounted to rotate in the ends of the reciprocating levers 58 and 59,which in turn are pivoted to the frame of the machine.

At times it is desirable to dispense with dusting the surfaces of thesheets, in such event means are provided to stopl the operation of thedusting device and elevate it out-of contact with the surto the links 62-62. The levers 63-63 are piv.-

oted to the links 624-62, at their lower ends, their upper end's arepivoted to plates 64, located on either side of the frame 9. The hopperand brushes of the dusting device are mounted on the plates-64. Aconnecting bar 65 is attached to the links 62-62, and a lever 66 ispivoted at its lower end to the frame 9', and at its mid portion to theconnecting bar 65, by moving the top of the lever 66 to the right, seeFig. 4. The levers 6|-6| and 63-63 will assume a perpendicular positionthus elevating the plates 64 and the dusting device out of contact withsheets of material passing through under the brushes. The brushes 54 and55, are provided with means, not shown, to reciprocate them crosswise ofthe sheets to spread and rub in pulverized material dusted upon thesurface of the sheets. Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate the spray devices 25 and43. The spray devices consist of the body part 66', which is providedwith the portion 61, serving as a connection for the pipes 68, throughwhich the coating mixture flows from the tank 69, to the spray device.Passages not shown are provided extending through the body part 66',from the connection 61, to the orifice 1D, a vneedle valve 1| isprovided to regulate the flow of coating mixture through the orifice 10,and to close said orifice.

Means are provided to open and close the needle valve 1|, and toregulate the extent of its opening, consisting of the longitudinallyslidable bar 12, to which is pivoted the bell crank lever 13, by thepivot 14, secured to the support 15. The end 16 is forked to embrace thevalve stem ,1|, threaded nuts 11-11 are mounted upon the needle valve1|, and adjustable thereon. They are held in position by the check nut18, as will be noted. Longitudinal movement of the bar 12 will move theneedle valve stem 1| to open or close the orifice 10.

Y The support 15 is secured to the cross bar 19, which is a part of theframe 9 of the machine. The spray device is secured to the support 15,by means of the clip 80 and bolts.

The-spray devices 25 and 43 are provided with an air connection 8|, andpassages, not shown. leading from the air connection to outlets 132-82.A valve 83 is provided to control the volume and pressure of air flowingfrom the outlets 82-82. The connection' 8| is attached to the pipe 84,which is secured in the air supply pipe 85.

The operation of coating materials is as follows: A stack of sheets isplaced upon the feeding belts l2, and fed from the bottom through thefeed rolls l0, and to the conveyer belts |1-I1, and thence under thespray device 25, which projects a jet of water to cover its exposedsurface, the sheets then pass to the turning over device 21, and turnedover to fall upon the conveyor belts 42-42 and conveyed by them underthe spray device 43, which projects upon its exposed surface a coatingmixture, the thickness of the coating being regulated by the speed atwhich the conveyor belts 42-42, travel and the volume and velocity atwhich the coating mixture sheets of materials. By elevating the dustingde-I vice the coated sheets will pass' under it without dusting.

Referring to Fig. 6, it will be noted that the air outlets 82-82 arepositioned at an angle so that jets of air projected therefrom willimpinge on either side of the jet of coating mixture and against eachother, the combined action of the three jets results in a fan shaped jeto! coating mixture that will extend laterally across the sheet andevenly cover its surface as it is fed under the spray device. f

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the feeding mechanism, in which there isprovided supports 85, on which the sheets are placed. They are arrangedso that the bottom sheet will contact with the feed belts I2-I2. A holdback device 86 is provided consisting of the spring member 81, and theparts 88 and 89. The part 89 is adjusted to permit the lower sheet topass under it. The part 88 permits the second sheet to pass under andthe spring 81 is inclined at an angle so that the front edge of thesheets will settle downward without undue friction.

My invention is not confined to the exact form and arrangement of theparts as they may be changed and modified without departing from thespirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

l. In a paper coating machine having a rotatable shaft mounted therein,a ratchet wheel secured to said shaft, a plurality of radial armsloosely mounted on said shaft, each provided with an outwardly taperingslot positioned to receive vancing edge of a sheet to disengage themfrom the pawls and means to disengage the pawls and position the radialarms when they have completed a half revolution.

2. In a machine for moistening, coating and dusting powdered materialson the coated face of matrix sheeets, means for feeding sheets of matrixpaper to horizontal carrier\ belts, said carrier belts, means formoistening one surface of the sheets, means operable by the advancingedge of the sheets to turn them over, means to coat the other side ofthe sheets, means to convey the coated sheets to a dusting device andmeans to evenly distribute the powdered material on the coated surfaceof the sheets.

3. The method of preparing matrix sheets for casting type for use inprinting, which consists in moistening one surface of the sheets,turning them over and coating the other surface with a coating materialand thereafter dusting onto and spreading evenly a coating of powderedmaterial on the coated surface of the sheets all by continuousoperations. v

LEON BELLAMY.

